Perspective Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events

Do the Patriots fit in with the other sports dynasties?

They don’t have the Yankees’ 27 titles, but they have dominated pro football since 2000.

New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel, center, and his team celebrate in the locker room at Yankee Stadium on October 2, 1949, after winning the American League pennant. From 1949 to 1958, the Yanks won nine American League pennants and seven World Series. (AP)

Now that the New England Patriots are in another Super Bowl, you may hear people using a certain word to describe the team: dynasty.

In sports, a dynasty is when a team wins championships so often that it becomes almost a regular thing. Let’s take a look at some definite sports dynasties through the years.

Pro basketball: Folks can talk about Michael Jordan and his six championships with the Chicago Bulls, but the greatest dynasty in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is the Boston Celtics. Led by center Bill Russell and a host of Hall of Famers, the Celtics won 11 NBA championships over 13 seasons from 1957 to 1969.

College basketball: From 1964 to 1975, the University of California at Los Angeles men’s basketball team under legendary Coach John Wooden won 10 college championships. Wooden won with all sorts of teams. His first championship team was short and quick. It did not have a starter taller than 6 foot 5 inches. Later, he won with great big men such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (known then as Lew Alcindor) and Bill Walton.

In women’s hoops, the University of Connecticut, with such stars as Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart, has won 11 NCAA championships. The Huskies have been to the Final Four in the past 11 consecutive years, winning six titles. And they are still at it.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game on Sunday. The team has won five Super Bowls and appeared in nine since 2000. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Baseball: As a Boston Red Sox fan, I hate to admit that the greatest dynasty in Major League Baseball is the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have won 27 World Series championships (the St. Louis Cardinals are next with 11).

During an amazing streak of 10 seasons from 1949 to 1958, the Yanks won nine American League pennants and seven World Series. That’s enough to make any Red Sox fan cry.

Hockey: The Montreal Canadiens were the Yankees of the National Hockey League (NHL). From 1956 to 1960, the Canadiens won five straight Stanley Cups. Five in a row! Think how happy Caps fans were with just one championship.

Of course, it was easier for teams to dominate in the old days of sports. For example, the NHL had only six teams until the 1967-68 season when the league expanded to 12 teams. The NHL now has 31 teams.

When the Celtics were ruling the NBA in the 1950s and ’60s, the league had eight to 14 teams instead of the 30 it has today.

So are the Patriots a dynasty? Since quarterback Tom Brady and Coach Bill Belichick joined forces in 2000, they have made it to nine Super Bowls, winning five of them. They have a chance for a sixth championship in Super Bowl LIII (that’s Roman numerals for 53) on February 3.